JIM MORRIS

Baseball player

ANavy kid born in Texas, Jim Morris wasn’t an obvious candidate for greatness, drafted 466th overall by the New York Yankees in the 1982 draft. He declined, and the following year was drafted fourth by the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he signed, although Morris then suffered several arm injuries in the minors. A series of surgeries didn’t help, including one that involved replacing a tendon in his left elbow with one from his right ankle, and in 1987 the pain became too much and he was released, never having made it to “the big show.” One year with the White Sox didn’t go any better, and so in 1988 Morris became a high school physical science teacher. Morris, his wife and three children moved to Big Lake, Texas, and he retired from baseball with a minor league record of 17 wins and 22 losses. For the next 10 years Morris taught and coached the school’s baseball team, the Reagan County Owls. Trying to motivate his team in 1999, he promised that he’d try out for a Major League team if they won their district championship—which they’d never done. As it happens, his team took the title and Morris kept up his end of the bargain, attending an open tryout for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Incredibly, despite his age (35), injuries and a decade away from the game, he threw 12 consecutive 98mph fastballs and was given another chance. After a few games in the minors, on September 18, 1999, Morris realized his dream and took the mound in the majors, pitching against Royce Clayton of the Texas Rangers, whom he struck out on four pitches. Morris made 16 major league appearances in 2000 before his arm injuries returned and he was released. Disney made a film about Morris called The Rookie, in which the pitcher was played by Dennis Quaid.